The Four Times Kid Flash Slowed Down
by iftheworldwasonfire
Summary: ...and the one time he couldn't.


**Where have I been?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

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><p>"It'stoobadyouweren'tthere, though, becauseyouwould'vetotallykickedbaddiebutt. NotlikeUncleBarryandIdidn't, butyoustillwould'-"<p>

"KF!" Robin barked, laughing. "Would you slow down? I can't understand a thing you're saying!"

"Yeah, sorry, sorry," Kid Flash said with a smile, and he continued to weave the complicated tale of what had happened to him and Flash on the way home from the grocery store.

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><p>"Oh, thank GOD! FOOD!" Kid Flash moaned as he sped into the cave, his stomach grumbling loudly. He rushed over to the refrigerator, and in moments, the counters were piled high with all sorts of things, some Artemis thought weren't even really edible.<p>

The red-haired speedster proceeded to stuff every single piece of food in sight into his mouth, hardly pausing to breathe. The rest of the team gagged; it truly was a sight to behold.

"Kid _Mouth_, slow down! You're going to throw up, or make _us_ through up, from the way you're eating!" Artemis snapped, retching slightly.

Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Blondie." But he slowed down noticeably.

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><p><em>We must make our way slowly over to the warehouse, <em>Aqualad instructed, via Miss Martian's mindlink, _so that we do not give away our positions._

_ Good idea, _Robin agreed.

_Fine, _Superboy thought indifferently.

_Psh, who needs slow? I can be over there in a flash, _Kid Flash smirked, and immediately sped off, racing towards the warehouse.

_Kid Flash!_ Miss Martian exclaimed.

_Imbecile, _growled Artemis.

_Superboy, could you..._Aqualad asked, but the clone of Superman was already off, leaping inhuman lengths, before he and Kid Flash collided.

The team had just caught up with the duo when Superboy began mentally yelling at Kid Flash.

_You idiot! Did you not hear what Aqualad said? _Superboy ranted.

_ Kid Flash, I told you we needed to go slowly, so as not to avert and suspicion, _Aqualad reprimanded the speedster.

_Well, yeah, but I could've gotten there much faster, _Kid Flash complained.

_Sometimes you need to go slow when a certain situation arises, _Aqualad said.

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _Kid Flash replied, as the team made their way _slowly_ over to the side of the warehouse.

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><p>Wally slumped back on his bed, his eyes twitching and mind swimming from all of the math equations he had just solved. Robin was the mathlete, <em>not<em> him. Give him a chemistry experiment any day. Math? Not happening.

"Hey, kid," a crackly old voice rang out. Wally started, hitting his head, then cursing loudly. He lept off his bed, then whirling around to see who was there.

"Show yourself!" the red-haired speedster demanded.

"On the shelf," replied the voice, and Wally turned to see the Helmet of Fate glowing.

"Kent...Nelson?" a strangled yelp came from Wally's throat.

"The one and only," the voice replied, and Wally could practically see the former Dr. Fate.

"But how did-...what just-" Wally spluttered.

"No time," the voice replied hastily, interrupting the speedster. "Nabu will only let me have a couple of moments before I have to go back into that old helmet."

"Is something wrong?" Wally asked cautiously.

"Kid, I came to tell you something very important..." the voice said seriously.

"What is it?" Wally questioned, wriggling in excitement.

"You need to slow down." Wally paused for a moment before bursting into a round of raucous laughter.

"Dude," the speedster laughed. "I'm Kid Flash. I don't _do_ slow."

"You need to stop rushing through life. It's only gonna come around one time, kid, and if you keep hurtling through the fast lane, you're gonna miss all the opportunities you could have. Just slow down." Kent Nelson's tone was stern now, and the grin slipped off of Wally's face. Soon after that little speech, the helmet stopped glowing, and it went back to what it had been before: a dusty souvenir.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Wally murmured, his words heard by no one.

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><p>Robin knew something was wrong when Wally had taken off with a flash of light. Yes, Wally had broken the sound-barrier last year, but the light barrier? Almost unthinkable.<p>

That was his cue to start worrying.

The mission was simple: get in, get out. But the team didn't realize that something was different until he started glowing.

No, seriously. He was _glowing_. Robin could see flashes of what seemed to be lightning as Wally dodged in between the bullets the criminals were shooting at him. Robin couldn't see it fully until Wally had stopped moving, which was after he had taken every baddie out in _less than ten seconds. _

The speedster's body was surrounded by crackles of stunning white electricity. Dirt was rising off the ground, along with anything else that wasn't nailed down. Dust swirled around Wally's lean form. And then, a high-pitched humming noise filled the room as strong winds slammed into the rest of the team, sending them stumbling backwards.

"Wally!" Robin wasn't sure if his shout could be heard over the deafening noise, but the red-haired teen looked towards him. "Wally, please! You gotta slow down!"

Wally just looked at him, a sad grin spreading across his lips. "I can't." His very _voice_ was trembling, no, _vibrating._

And then he was gone. His whole body jerked in and out of reality spasmodically before he was just...gone.

Robin could still hear Wally's voice in his ears.

_Sorry...I'm sorry._

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><p><strong>...reviews would be nice, even though this is a piece of crap. I'll revise later.<strong>

**~lilmissf**


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